


trouble

by iceandfire



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Fluff and Angst, M/M, also a bit of dancing, basically we have a bunch of dance crews fighting for this big competition in oslo, honestly idek what i'm doing with evak, it's all good fun, no big rivalries but my smol son wants to win, other relationships will not be featured heavily, sooo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-22 05:18:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11960511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iceandfire/pseuds/iceandfire
Summary: Isak, Mahdi, Magnus and Jonas are part of a dance crew called "Kattehookern og vennene hans" that is getting ready for its big comeback in this year's Oslo Street Dance Competition. Things might actually be turning up for once, but a rule change and a new face might just mess up their chances.





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

> I'm actually really excited for this! I know this might be a little weird but please try to bear with me a little.  
> Blame it on one million youtube videos, blame it on Cenzig constantly dancing on instagram, blame it on me trying to procrastinate to death my two finals next week. I love the concept of this story, in an ideal world I wouldn't be the one writing it tho ahah.  
> More notes at the end to explain some things! Thank you so much for giving this a chance, you make my day  
> The title is fro Trouble by Cage The Elephant which is a lovely lovely song, check that out.
> 
> I literally own nothing (and I should be studying).  
> [also i am neither english nor norwegian so keep that in mind]
> 
> lots of love!

_ Got so much to lose _

_ Got so much to prove _

_ God don't let me lose my mind _

 

 

 

 

When Isak dances everything else just fades away. 

There is just his body and the beat.

Everything goes dark, and there is only a light shining. It lights up his feet as he moves on an empty stage. 1, 2, 3, 4.

Forwards, and backwards, and turn around. The beat thumps in his veins. 5, 6, 7, 8.

This is his state of grace. This is his outlet. This is everything he wants to be.

He does not feel his aching muscles, or the sweat streaming down from his hair. He is calm. There is just him, and the beat, and the darkness. 

 

 

Eventually the lights turn on.  "Yo, Isak!”

It is Jonas and the boys. Isak drops the arms by his side mid-spin and breathes heavily for a couple of beats. He then crouches down to pause the music blasting from the stereo. 

“Halla, boys.” Mahdi and Magnus, the other two boys, nod at him in welcome. Jonas lets their shoulder knock.

“You gotta stop wearing yourself out before we even get here, bro.” 

Isak just shrugs at Mahdi’s words. The boys know him well, and they are aware of the fact that he loves dancing more than anything else in his life. He will keep on moving even if his body screams for him to stop. He will just go on and on till it is over. He will get his rest after.

So they know that Isak will not give anything less than one hundred percent in this practice, even though he got here quite a while earlier. 

“I'm trying to learn those steps for the second choreography. I’m having some trouble,” he mutters

Mahdi snorts. “There's no way you’re having trouble, dude. Mags, might be having trouble, _maybe_ , but you sure as hell are _not_.”

“Heeeeey!”Magnus protest, “Why do I always get dragged into things even if I don’t say anything?”

“We love you, Mags, you know that, you just happen to be the designated butt of all of our jokes,” Mahdi pats Magnus’ shoulder lovingly. Magnus shrugs his acceptance. 

Jonas glances up at Isak – Isak is still quite proud of that growth spur that made him taller than his best friend – and nods his head towards the end of the room. Magnus and Mahdi keep on bantering in the background. 

“Isak," Jonas asks in a low tone of voice "how are you?”

“Fine,” Isak is a bit taken aback by Jonas’s question. After all, nothing that has happened today should appear as odd behaviour. Although, perhaps, today is not exactly just any other day. “Why are you asking me that?”

Jonas is the person who knows him the best, and he is the person that he can count on for just about everything, so his concern, annoying as it might be, still warms him up inside a little. Isak is no baby, but being cared for is, in some ways, still new to him.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days,” Jonas states.

“I have been sleeping," Isak defends himself. “It's just that I want to learn this to perfection, you know? I can’t screw this up.”

Jonas nods knowingly. “I know you want to win, but wearing yourself out isn’t gonna help you, and it most definitely isn’t gonna help us” he says pointing at himself and the others.

“We need you more than you need us, bro.” 

Isak just bumps his shoulder lightly. He does not say that that is not true at all. Isak needs them more than they could ever possibly need him. He does not think that they realise that.

 

 

“Your guru is here, boys!” Eskild makes his grand entrance, just like every time they have practice. Which is every day. He really loves his grand entrances. “Come over here, your guru has got some big news for his little boys!”

Jonas and Isak rejoin the others that have quickly gathered near Eskild. 

The guru clears his throat, and then, solemnly, he says: “You know what day it is today, right?”

They all nod in silence, huddled close together. Eskild looks briefly at them, then continues to announce.”I have been sent this years' rules and guidelines for the Oslo Street Dance Competition.”

He looks at all of them to make sure that they are all following him. “As you know, the competition is two weeks away, and it has been confirmed that we will have 90 seconds of performance time, that your guru has already choreographed for you. Now, there are some things that are different this year from last year," and at this point he stops, making a dramatic pause. Isak just stares at him, raising an eyebrow, that is an universal signal to just get on with this already. “I have good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?”

There's a chorus of "bad news," and Eskild nods. Having known him for three years Isak can see that under his neutral exterior their choreographer (/guru) is excited. 

“The bad news is, my children, that this year a new rule has been issued that states that in a crew there must be at least five members.” 

“What?" Jonas all but yells. 

“Why?” Isak joins in. 

“How?” Mahdi asks. 

“What" Magnus repeats, he does not think the first question has been emphasised enough.

“Now, now, boys, I do not know why or how they decided to set a minimum threshold to participate in this competition," Eskild offers, "but I still have that good news I was telling you about.”

The boys are still looking at each other dumbfounded. The competition they have been preparing for the last few months is now not only rather impossible to win, but also impossible to compete in. 

“What?” Isak says still in shock. Jonas sets his hand on Isak’s arm to calm him down. It does not work much, really.

“My children, worry not, cause your guru, as he always does, has already fixed all of your problems!  _Kattehookern og vennene hans_ will, indeed, compete in the Oslo Street Dance Competition for _I_ have found you another crew member.” He announces proudly. He glances at the door in a split second before smiling brightly at all of them. Isak is sure he must have just been dumped in the land of his worse nightmares. What the fuck is Eskild even talking about.

“Children, meet your new crew member.” 

He raises his arm with great flourish towards the door, but the door stays closed.

"New crew member.” Eskild repeats, louder now. 

The door is still closed. “Crew member?” The word is more of a question now. 

Two minutes pass in complete silence, but the door does not move, although, judging by the way Eskild is staring at it, there should beat least two holes in it by now.  
He mutters an “excuse me" and quickly makes his way out of the door. 

Isak turns to Jonas. “The fuck?” Jonas’ comforting hand rests on his shoulder. “I don’t want another member, we do not need another member!” Isak says, his voice bordering on hysterical. 

“It looks like we don’t have a choice, bro,” Mahdi says, Isak shrugs off Jonas’ hand and starts pacing the length of their small training room. “Why does nothing ever goes as it should? Why must something always happen?” He mutters angrily under his breath. His friends are just staring at him. They know Isak cares about this competition more than any of them. 

 

Isak has nothing. He has no family to speak of, and has been living with Eskild in a shared apartment since his second year of high school. His father barely pays his rent, and Isak struggles to get by. He does not even have enough money to go to college. Last year he signed up to the OSDC as a way to have fun after high school graduation and maybe make some connections and a job. _Kattehookern_ had, however, brutally lost in the first eliminatory phase, and Isak had not gained what he had hoped for from the competition. Namely a scholarship, or at least a job that involved dancing. 

The disappointment had stung, and Isak should have already known by then not to get his hopes up for such uncertain things. 

So when Jonas, Mahdi and Magnus had all started college, Isak remained behind. As he could not afford going, Isak decided to take a year off to save some cash and work on perfecting his moves and return to this year’s competition with his head held high. He got himself a job, or three actually, and helped Eskild with the small kids at his dancing studio. 

He had worked his ass off for months, and now that he was finally getting close to his second chance a technicality was going to stop him? To stop them?

 

“Isak?” Magnus’ voice pulls him back from his thoughts. He notices that they must have tried to call himfor a while now. “Bro, it’s gonna be fine. Eskild says he fixed it, that he got us that member we need, so it’s gonna be _fine_.” He drags the last word. Isak mutters something along the lines of "we don't need another member," just to reiterate the sentiment, and he almost misses the door opening and Eskild’s bright smile as he reenters the room.

It is what, or rather who, is standing behind Eskild that makes him stop his pacing so suddenly he almost loses balance. 

 

The shiny new member of _Kattehookern_ is tall, taller then Isak, and with eyes so blue that they can pierce Isak's from across the room. The boy's hair is styled in a gravity defining quiff of a dirty blond color. His face is all sharp features and soft freckles. His long legs and muscly arms are loosely covered by soft sweatpants and a hoodie. Who is this guy? What the fuck is happening?

 

“Children," Eskild savuors the moment, "meet Even Bech Næsheim.” 

 

\-----

 

“Isak,” Mahdi whispers, “you okay, bro? You're drooling.” 

Isak snaps his mouth shut. It is going to be a long two weeks.


	2. ii

_ ii. _

 

 

Even shakes hands with everyone, and smiles kindly when the boys introduce themselves. He nods when Eskild asks him to just sit and watch for this practice, and just seems generally thrilled with this arrangement. Isak hates it. Well, Isak does not hate it, but he sure as hell is _not_ thrilled. At least he feels less stressed about the whole situation now. 

Of course, there is the fact that he still does not know how Even dances (although he must be good if Eskild invited him to the group, let’s be real), and he also does not know if the boy will fit in with their mismatched group. 

What he does know is that Even is distracting. Not purposely so, but distracting nonetheless. 

 

The boys have to prepare two routines for the competition: one for the first eliminatory round, and another one to perform in the final round, if they ever get to it. Isak is quite proud of the choreography for the eliminatory round, it is his and Eskild’s lovechild: they have spent countless hours on it and the group could perform it in their sleep. 

As for the other choreography, well, that is a bit trickier. Isak wanted something more intense, more jaw dropping, and Eskild and him were trying to find just the perfect mix to ensure a good shot at the trophy. 

It just was not an easy feat.

 

Anyways, they need to show Even what they got, as he has no idea what they have been working on, and try to fit him in their choreography in the next two weeks. Isak is not exactly confident that they will pull this off, but he intends to try anyway. Isak steps up, front and center, and the boys take their spots behind him. Eskild turns on the music, and counts down “5, 6, 7, 8.”

They have arranged a nice upbeat choreography that highlighted all of their strong points, and had picked a Bruno Mars song to go with it, so that it could resonate with the crowd.

 

At first Isak is the only one who moves, then the boys appear from behind him, their moves synchronised as Isak glances at them in the floor to ceiling mirror of their practice room. Isak is always in the middle, his moves smoother and more well practiced then the others'. For the first half of the song, they alternate themselves, two and three at a time, and when they get together near the end is just so much fun. They know each other, and they know their moves, and they just work so well together. Isak enjoys it a lot, and judging by the smiles on Jonas, Mahdi and Magnus' faces, they do too.

They end with their back turned to the mirror, heads all facing their right side.

 

There’s loud clapping, and Isak turns around, a bit red in the face from the exertion. Even is smiling, if possible, even brighter than before, from where he is sitting on the floor, and his eyes are sparkling. Isak has to tear his gaze away. The boys all pat each other on their backs, as they always do when they are happy with their performance.

 

Isak is carefully trying not to stare at Even, so he does not even notice that he has stood up. “Do you guys mind if I give it a try?” he says in his low voice. 

“Sure bro, go for it,” Magnus says, and they all politely step aside. 

Even pulls up his hoodie over his head, which has to be the most extra thing Isak has ever witnessed in his life. He can barely contain himself from rolling his eyes. 

Eskild turns on the music and counts down again. Even just looks at his reflection in the mirror. 

_ Goddamnit.  _

_ What the fuck. What the actual fuck. _

Even is moving and all they can do is stare in stunned silence.

 

“What.”

“Did you show it to him before, Eskild?” Jonas asks. But Eskild just shakes his head, while looking like he is just about to burst with pride. 

Even is smiling sheepishly in their direction. His eyes are crinkling. 

Isak is quiet. He has just witnessed this guy, who has stepped in this room not longer than 20 minutes ago, go through their choreography almost perfectly. Not only that, but he had danced Isak’s part, the one that never left the stage, the one that took front stage and served to pull all the members together. Also what he did notremember (as that would have been too much), he made up with better and smoother moves. What the actual fuck.

 

Magnus breaks the silence by asking Even to show him in more detail one of the changes he had just made to the choreography. Isak slides close to Eskild. “Aren't you a little bit offended?”

“I definitely am a bit offended." Eskild says, matter-of-factly.  "But, I am also very proud of shocking all of you boys with such a good new member.”

Isak shakes his head. “Do you remember how long it took us to create this choreography? And thirty seconds in, this guy just throws improvements all around? _Who is he_?”

Eskild chuckled, smiling knowingly. “You know what, you shouldn’t be too offended, he used to be a choreographer for other groups, so that explains it.”

Isak is still a little bit offended. He is also a little bit relieved.

 

 

The rest of the practice continues smoothly, Even catching up rather quickly to their choreography, and contributing in ways that makes the new addition fall right into place with the others. 

Although Isak still holds most of his initial reserves, he finds that there is nothing he can hold against Even, really. The boy observes each one of them carefully in the mirror, and dances along with only few mistakes along the way, and even those, man, they look just damn nice. _(Fuck him)._

 

Isak is sitting on the bench after practice, a towel on his head and staring at the wall ahead of him. He is going to have to seriously consider how the choreography will work with five people now. They might need to rearrange a few things around. 

Jonas sits down next to him. “I think Mags is already in love with him.” He says, only half jokingly. He nods towards where Magnus is covering Even in more and more inappropriate questions. Even barely answers half of them, it is not like Magnus even gives him the time, though. Oh, and Even is looking at Isak, straight on. Piercing blue gaze and all. His hair all soft and curly from the shower. It is quite the unnerving view. And Jonas is still talking to him. _Well_.

“… kebab?” Isak nods. There is not much one can say against kebabs. 

“Yo, Even?” Jonas asks, voice a bit louder. “Wanna come for kebabs with us?”

Before Jonas can even finish the question, Magnus is already covering all of their thoughts by shouting something along the lines of: “oh, man, you just have to come with us! It will be so much fun! We’ll all get to know you better!”

_Fun_ , Isak rolls his eyes. If he were Even, he would have already run the fuck away from their assorted set of weirdness. The boy, however, does not seem to mind. In fact he does not mind at all, as he gives them the most genuine of smiles when he says that he will come.

 

————

 

“Sooo, Isak is the grumpy, talented boss, Jonas is the self-aware but chill, _actual_ boss, Mahdi only cares about girls and waffles, but will crush you in freestyle, and I am, of course, the brains.”

They are sitting on two benches facing each other, their kebabs in various states of half-eatedness on the table between them. Mahdi, being the one sitting closest to Magnus jabs him hard in the ribs.

“Don't listen to a word he says,” Jonas smirks, without any real heat behind it. They all clearly love Magnus in their own ways.

Even laughs. “I do believe Isak is grumpy, though.”

Isak’s eyebrows skyrocket. “I am so  _not_ grumpy,” he protests.

Just as the others are saying: “True,” “ _so_ grumpy,” and “the grumpiest.”

Isak scoffs. “This group would fall apart without me, you said so yourselves.”

“You still grumpy, though.”

 

Even went to school to Elvebakken, and he almost transferred to their school in his third year, but he apparently managed finish high school there. Even is two years older than the other boys. Even is a film and media student. Even was a choreographer for another group that is participating in the competition, although he will not tell them which one. Even has never participated in the competition himself, only his routines. Even will not tell them how he met Eskild. Even laughs out loud when asked if he has slept with Eskild.

Even offers Isak a joint when the others get into a pretty heated argument about assuming someone else’s sexuality.

“You guys are quite passionate about a lot of things,” Even notes, chin pointing towards the others.

“So are you,” Isak says, as he takes a long drag.

Even chuckles. “I guess.” 

They smoke in silence for a while. And Isak finds himself strangely comfortable. He does not usually responds to new people so well, but Even seems like an exception.

“Are you liking it here so far?” He asks. If Even notices that what Isak is really asking is if he is liking _them_ so far, he does not point that out. 

“Yeah,” he whispers. The joint hanging between his lips, his eyes forwards. “As I said, you’re passionate about things and you also seem to be very good at it.” 

Even is looking directly at him now, and Isak does not feel nervous or on edge, he does not mind if in all his staring Even finds something in his eyes that he would usually try to hide. Man, this shit is good. 

“Man, this shit is good,” he says, and Even just laughs out loud, his eyes getting all crinkly at their sides.

Isak just hopes he is not too unguarded.

 

 

Isak and Even take the same bus home. The other boys wave at them from the opposite side of the street as they hop on and sit next to each other. The windows are all fogged up, making the lights outside look faint and far, far away, just bobbles of orange and white light that tremble in the dark. Isak stares at all the passing lights, some pop song is stuck in his head and he starts bouncing his head softly to the beat. He catches Even looking at him in the reflection, a soft smile on his face. 

 

 

 

When Isak gets to practice the next day, he is not the first one to get there for the first time in a long while. 

He checks his watch to make sure: he is half an hour early. 

Yet music is pounding in the room, and it is not the one from their choreography. It is some popular song that Isak cannot quite place. He moves closer to the room, curious to who might be in there. He thinks it might be Magnus: sometimes, when he is feeling particularly insecure, he comes in before everyone to practice some more. Jonas was sometimes here early if he was worried about Isak and wanted to talk to him, yet this was not his kind of song, unless he was going to dance with the others to it. Isak cannot recall the last time Mahdi was here early. It was probably that one time he had taken the wrong tram and ended up here two hours before practice, but was too lazy to go home and get back again later. Eskild was generally sharply punctual, but never early.

The person in the room right now is none of them, of course. 

It is Even. 

And he is dancing with such abandon, and with music pumped so loud he does not notice Isak standing by the door, observing him slack-jawed. He is trying the same moves again and again, making them smoother, making them flow from one to the next in a seamless manner.

He is as much in his element as Isak usually is when he does his thing. Yet Isak can tell that wherehe usually has rougher edges, Even can be soft one second, and tough another, making everything somehow work together. At one point he stops, restarts the music and starts anew. This time it seems he has everything under control, and after an admittedly stunning performance, he comes at the end with a peaceful look on his face. 

When he turns around to shake the hood off his head – which he had put on again, the dork –, and his eyes land on Isak, he looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Before he can say anything, Isak blurts out. “I just got here,” and brushes past him and into the locker room to hide how emotionally involved he had gotten in Even’s dancing. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Here are the dance crews that will be taking part in the OSDC, I'm sharing them now cause I'm excited but also cause it could be useful to have them handy.
> 
> 1\. Kattehookern og vennene hans: Isak, Jonas, Madhi, Magnus and Even  
> 2\. Los Losers: Sana, Noora, Eva, Vilde and girl Chris  
> 3\. heybriskeby: Elias, Yousef, Mutasim, Mikael and Adam  
> 4\. Pepsi Max: Sara, Ingrid, Layla, etc  
> 5\. The Penetrators: William, Chris P, etc.
> 
> also as for the name for the boy squad crew I used the name of their group chat in s03, but please let me know if you have a better idea (or even if you like this pls) i'm literally desperate about this.  
> Thank you so much!


End file.
